From: 'Wharf A. Snake' wharfsnake@yahoo.com [NIgerianWorldForum] <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>
Date: 18 January 2016 at 15:39
Subject: [NIgerianWorldForum] Re: [NEWS]: ||Rebellion in the Church: Binis at daggers drawn with Catholic Archbishop
By Simon Ebegbulem, Benin-City
…Over indigenous bishop *Why Akabueze won't quit – Senator Owie, others
Since he was appointed as the Archbishop of the Benin Metropolitan See on 18 March, 2011, Augustine Obiora Akubueze has not had peace. Prior to his installation on 28 April, 2011, a group of Binis, under the aegis of the Edo Liturgical Group,agitated for a Benin bishop, accusing the hierarchy of the Catholic Church of marginalizing the Binis, especially their priests from emerging as bishops.
Attempts made to stop Akubueze's installation through the courts and the Benin Traditional Council met a brick wall since the Vatican had spoken. In Catholic Church, the making of an archbishop or a bishop is a difficult process that requires divine guidance. One of the key leaders of the Edo Liturgical Group, Pa Vincent Osakue, a Knight of St Mulumba, led the opposition to the installation of Akubueze who also doubles as the Vice Chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference, to the palace of the Benin monarch, Oba Erediauwa, through petitions.
Meanwhile, Osakue's action attracted the wrath of the top hierarchy of the Knight of St Mulumba. He was suspended from the Knighthood as his action was tagged anti-Catholic. However, the Benin monarch intervened in the matter and urged the parties to sheathe their sword while he looked into the matter. His intervention brought cessation of hostilities between the parties until Akubueze, an Igbo man from Anambra State, was installed. In 2012, the archbishop led a delegation to visit the Oba who gave him gifts from the palace. But unknown to Akubueze, more trouble was to come!
Bishop AkubuezeAgitation for Bini bishop
Sunday Vanguard learnt that the battle for an indigenous bishop started when Archbishop Patrick Ekpu, the immediate past Archbishop of Benin, was nearing retirement. Various groups such as the Afemai (Edo North), Esan (Edo Central) and Bini (Edo South), started praying for the creation of more dioceses to foster development. Sunday Vanguard gathered that before the Auchi Diocese was created, a prominent Esan son advised Ekpu to ensure that indigenous bishops were installed in the three senatorial districts of the state.
After the creation of Auchi Diocese, an indigenous bishop, Gabriel Dunia, emerged. But when Uromi Diocese (Esan) was created, Akubueze, who was then a priest at Iselle-Uku Diocese, was posted to Uromi, where he was ordained bishop on 25 February, 2006. Having found him worthy due to his performance at Iselle-Uku and Uromi and, particularly due to the universal nature of the church, he was moved to Benin Archdiocese to head the Metropolitan See.
According to the rules of the church, the choice of who becomes archbishop in Benin Archdiocese is not limited to Benin indigenous priests because, as a Metropolitan See, the Benin Archdiocese comprises of worshippers from almost all tribes in the country including foreigners and it supervises other dioceses in Uromi, Auchi, Bomadi,Warri, Kogi and Ondo. These dioceses are known as the Suffragan Dioceses under Benin.
On Wednesday, 24 July, 2013, members of the Edo Liturgical Group, resumed their agitation, demanding the removal of Akubueze and a Benin priest made the bishop in his place. The group, led by its Chairman, Andrew Ayemwenre, also accused the archbishop of meting out punitive measures against the Benin people since their demand started for an indigenous bishop which, according to them, will help achieve proper evangelization in their land in accordance with the recommendation for the church by Pope Benedict XV.
They alleged,"In less than two years of Archbishop Akubueze's coming, there appears to be a design by him to replace our people, priests and laity in the Catholic Church. The Edo Liturgical Group visited him on more than four occasions to find the way forward. Among issues raised were one Edo Mass for parishes at prime time in the entire diocese, that copies of Edo Bible and Missal be made available in the church, use of Edo songs at Mass, priests in the archdiocese to learn to celebrate Mass in Edo language, the re-instatement of Pa Vincent Osakue to the Knighthood which was withdrawn by Akubueze and Mr. Chris Aghimien as Secretary of the Laity Council of the Archdiocese of Benin and the retention of the name, Edo Liturgical Group".
They claimed that despite the peace moves made by the group to sort out the issues with the archbishop, " he failed to accede to any of our requests and even refused to approve the one Mass on Sunday for the indigenes in all parishes in Benin-City. Holy Cross Cathedral as a Parish has 28 Sunday Masses in a month while only one Mass is said in Edo language for her indigenes. This means that, of the 364 Sunday Masses in a year, only 12 is in the native tongue. Meanwhile, in Onitsha and the entire Eastern Nigeria, the reverse is the case. The use of Edo language as part of the Mass is a taboo by Archbishop Akubeze".
While insisting that the name Edo Liturgical Group be allowed to remain, they said that they have been under threat and pressure from the Archbishop to change the group just as they added that some Benin Priests have been forbidden from saying Edo Mass and have refused to associate with them for fear of victimization".
Loyalty
But 24 hours after making their statement public, indigenous Bini priests, led by their chairman, Rev Father Felix Igbineweka, described the call as unfortunate and urged those aggrieved to work in harmony with the authorities of the church to avoid unnecessary crisis. While disassociating the Benin priests from the call for the removal of the archbishop, Igbineweka pledged their loyalty to Akubueze and urged any aggrieved person to channel complaints to the relevant authorities rather than attempting to rub the name of the church with mud.
Scheming out
Tension further heightened in the archdiocese when some prominent Benin chiefs, led by the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, insisted that the archbishop must go. They accused Akubueze of doing things contrary to the Papal policy of promoting indigenous language and customs of the people which, they said, the Roman Catholic Church leadership believed would lead to winning more converts.
The Iyase said there was a deliberate attempt to shortchange Benin speaking priests in the scheme of things by deliberately sending them abroad in the guise of training and replacing them with Igbo priests."Because Archbishop Akubeze has exhibited hatred for the people of Benin and their language, he has to go and a Benin priest has to be installed bishop/arcbishop of our diocese". Igbo reminded Akubueze that, in Mbaise, the people rejected a non-indigene as bishop and vowed to mete out the same treatment to him.
Religious matter
But former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Rowland Owie, and a Benin priest, Rev. Father Palmer Ikponmwosa, disagreed with them and described the call as ungodly, retrogressive and diversionary, saying "Binis don't forbid visitors and this is purely a religious matter and has nothing to do with tribe". "I do not blame the chiefs who are treading where angels fear to tread, throwing stones at the consecrated ones of the Most High God. Is there any true believer of the Catholic faith who will take doctrinal and ecclesiastical matters for adjudication in a secular environment?", Owie said.
"The most painful wounds, the worst affronts which the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Benin has received up till now, have come from her own children. We lambast our local priests as if they are our mates. When the sons or brothers of these people who are priests are retained in urban parishes, then the archbishop is doing well but when any of them is transferred to the rural area, oh, archbishop is not good, he must be transferred. Let any one of them challenge me to a public debate on the stewardship of Archbishop Akubueze.
"Apart from Archbishop Gbuji, the evangelization efforts of Archbishop Akubueze in Edo South senatorial district, which is the Archdiocese of Benin, is unprecedented in the Catholic Church. Let us assume that Bini Mass is approved for all 70 parishes and over one hundred Mass Centers in the Archdiocese of Benin, where will these agents of destabilization find the Bini priests to say Mass?"
5-star hospital
Also joining issues with the anti-Akubueze campaigners Palmer, an indigenous Bini priest, asserted that the archbishop had impacted positively in the lives of indigenous priests and the Binis in general since his arrival contrary to the allegations against him. His words: "When he came, 27 parishes were handed over to him but today we have 64 parishes in Benin Archdiocese, excluding Mass Centers and these have opened up Benin villages. Even a five-start hospital is about to be built in Igbuogo village before Okada and that hospital will take care of women and children. Is it not our people the Binis that will benefit from it? This was made possible by the archbishop.
"And let me also tell you, the cry among the Bini priests earlier was the issue of extra training for our people. And when the archbishop came, he agreed that it was necessary for the Church to build the capacity of the priests by using the advantage of Fidel Donum priests, which were graciously given to the archdiocese through the request made by Archbishop Gbuji who was overseeing affairs here before the coming of Archbishop Akubueze. And this request was made in order to promote evangelization".
Sunday Vanguard learnt that contrary to the allegation that Bini priests were not being trained, several of them are undergoing training abroad in courses that will lead to the emergence of a Bini bishop in the future.
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This is Nigeria at its best/worst. I am saddened by this development which I must say is the latest in localizing the Church which is an international corporation. In its first phase it was the Anglican Church. I recall that when Enugu Diocese was created from the Niger Diocese (Onitsha) with an Anambra man as the bishop of Enugu there was mild protest and then bigger protests as time went along. The bishop could not function as effectively as he could have as politicians and lay people joined the fight for an indigenous Enugu man to be be found. We thought it was in the Anglican nature as protestants, to protest. But now it has spread to the Roman Catholic Church. One would think that this is tribalism at work but lo it is not. If you have followed developments in the Catholic Church you would have noticed that a worse crises exists in Ahiara in Mbaise (IMO) where an Anambra man was appointed the bishop. the natives want a native son!
- The church like other organizations should have the freedom to assign and reassign its personnel and to post them where it needs their talents the most.
- The most important qualification ought be ability and experience. If the oppositions is based on "not one of our own" then it means that we are not one, church, corporation, or country.
- The organization (this time the Church) ought to review the training and experience of local staff to ensure that when necessary that local talents should be utilized, but that should be as a last resort.
- Commentators ought to realize that tribalism is not a factor in this matter as the Ahiara example illustrates (both are Igbo).
- The religious is now becoming the political. This is the same reason the minister of FCT MUST be a northerner and the leader of Delta Development must be from Delta even when these leaders are spending federal money. It ought not be so.
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Nigerian bishops lament disunity among local Catholics
By Carl Bunderson
Nigerian bishops lament disunity among local Catholics
Abuja, Nigeria, May 23, 2013 / 04:06 am (CNA).- As the Catholics of the Diocese of Ahiara protested the appointment of a bishop from a nearby diocese as their shepherd, local bishops expressed sadness at the disunity in the Church of Nigeria.
Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke – formerly a priest of the Awka diocese – was consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Ahiara in Nigeria May 21, while many residents of the diocese rallied against the move.
Due to the strong opposition among the local Mbaise community, Bishop Okpaleke was installed outside his new diocese, at Seat of Wisdom Seminary in Ulakwo, in the Archdiocese of Owerri.
Bishop Okpaleke was consecrated by Archbishop Anthony J. V. Obinna of Owerri, Ahiara's metropolitan archbishop, with a cardinal and several bishops in attendance, as well as heightened security.
The homily was given by Bishop Lucius I. Ugorji of Umuahia, who said that "acceptance of the papal appointment is a respect for the Pope, while the outright rejection and inflammatory statements and protests are spiteful and disrespectful of papal authority," according to The Sun of Lagos.
According to the Vanguard of Lagos, Archbishop Obinna said May 19 that "we decided to organize the ordination away from Mbaise so as to give peace a chance...it is sad that what we are experiencing is a war between Catholics and Catholics."
Bishop Okpaleke comes from the Awka diocese, 62 miles from Ahiara, and is not an ethnic Mbaise. The Catholics of the diocese wanted one of their own to be appointed bishop over them.
"The Mbaise people wanted their own bishop, who knows what's going on within the community," George Awuzie, an Mbaise emigrant to California and a representative of Mbaise USA, told CNA May 20.
"They're sending someone from a different community, a different village, that doesn't know what we do within our area."
The Mbaise are the most Catholic among Nigerian people – 77 percent of the population of 620,000 are Catholic. Surrounding diocese range between 4 and 64 percent Catholic.
Families in the rural diocese foster priestly and religious vocations, with at least 167 priestly ordinations for the diocese since its establishment in 1987.
The diocese is currently served by 127 priests and 113 religious, according to Vatican Radio. The Ahiara diocese covers 164 square miles – roughly one sixth the size of Rhode Island.
With such a wealth of priests, the Ahiara diocese sends many as missionaries to Western countries, and many Mbaise hoped that one of its own would become their bishop.
Ahiara's first ordinary, Bishop Victor A. Chikwe, served from 1987 until his death in Sept., 2010. The diocese was vacant for 26 months until Pope Benedict appointed Father Okpaleke last December.
Bishop Okpaleke was born in 1963, and was ordained a priest in 1992. He has served a pastor, university chaplain, and diocesan chancellor. After his ordination he studied canon law at Holy Cross Pontifical University in Rome, and has served on the tribunal for the Onitsha ecclesiastical province.
Both priests and faithful have made vocal, public protests against Bishop Okpaleke's appointment, blocking access to Ahiara's cathedral and disrupting both automobile and foot traffic in the area.
On May 16, some 400 Mbaise protested the appointment in the streets of the diocese, carrying signs with slogans such as "Awka has 5 bishops, Mbaise has 0 bishops" and asking for an "Mbaise son as Mbaise bishop."
Conflict over the episcopal appointment highlights tribal tensions in Nigeria. Opposition to Bishop Okpaleke has not suggested any poor administration on his part, but focuses solely on his not being a member of the people whom he is to shepherd.
"They ended up going over (the priests of Ahiara) to get someone from another village; appointed a bishop from another village to be bishop of the Mbaise people," Awuzie told CNA.
Awka, whence Bishop Okpaleke comes, is located in the state of Anambra. Ahiara, meanwhile, is located to the south in Imo state. Mbaise assert that the Nigerian hierarchy favors Anambra.
Mbaise note the appointment of bishops from the Onitsha province – based in Anambra – while few if any episcopal appointments are made of priests from the Owerri province, in Imo and Abia states.
The Mbaise, who are proud of their identity and strong Catholicism, resent what they call the "Anambranization" of the Church in southeast Nigeria, believing there to be corruption within the Church in Nigeria and a "recolonization" of the Mbaise.
The Mbaise are a tribe of the Igbo, one of the three major ethnic groups of Nigeria. Most Christians in Nigeria are Igbo, and reside in the south-east of the country. Soon after Nigeria gained independence from British colonialism, the government, led by the Yoruba and Hausa peoples, began to persecute the Igbo.
In 1967, the Igbo rebelled, forming the Republic of Biafra, resulting in the Nigerian Civil War. The rebellion was put down by 1970, and the region has yet to recover, having lost as many as one million of its population to war and famine.
Overall, Nigerian society is perceived as struggling with corruption, ranking at 139 among 176 countries considered by Transparency International's 2012 Corruption Perception Index. It is just ahead of Bangladesh, and in the company of Pakistan and Kenya.
In the face of division among the Igbo, brought to light by the controversy over Bishop Okpaleke, there have been calls for greater Igbo unity and identity.
Father Stan Chu Ilo, who is Igbo and teaches theology at the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto, wrote Jan. 11 at "Sahara Reporters" that the crisis has caused him to note that "after the Civil War and the ongoing marginalization of Ndigbo in Nigeria, I believe that the Igbo people should unite and work together as brothers and sisters for the good of the ethnic nation and the wider Nigerian, African and international community."
"Igbo Catholicism should be the veritable instrument for bringing unity in our communities, parishes, dioceses and states in Igbo land," he concluded.
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